Register today for the Small Business Matters Summit 2021 to learn best practices for preparing your business for future opportunities in St. Bernard Parish! The event will take place at 3710 Paris Rd, Chalmette, LA 70043 in the Art, Science, and Technology Building at Nunez Community College. The event takes place on Thursday, July 22nd, 1:00pm-6:00pm. There is no cost to attend, however, registration is required. Click here to register!

Learn How to Become a Vendor of Choice for Major Corporations!Join the Urban League of Louisiana's Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation for its 3-part, signature series, the "Best Practices in Corporate Contracting" sponsored by Chevron. This series will provide entrepreneurs who are seeking corporate clients with best practices for building the financial and operational capacity required to do business with medium- to large-sized corporations. Tuesday, August 3 | 10:00am-11:30amFacilitator: Lakeisha Robichaux, Lakeisha Robichaux, LLC As small businesses set their site on growth, it is imperative that capacity building strategies be deployed to ensure that your firm can effectively and efficiently manage larger contracts. Access to these larger contracting opportunities is important, but the benefit is null and void if you do not have the capacity to meet the expectations of larger, more complex opportunities. During this session, learn specific strategies for building financial and operational capacity, including:  Attracting and retaining high-quality workers Controlling operating costs and scalability Improving internal controls such as financial systems, inventory and human resource management platforms Wednesday, August 4 | 10:00am-11:30amFacilitator: Nenette Lusk Gray, Lemonade Creative Marketing During Part 2 of “Capacity Building for Corporate Contracts”, participants will gain insights into additional strategies for building financial […]

Scale Up! Louisiana is a statewide, community-based, entrepreneurial education intensive hosted by Urban League of Louisiana’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. This program provides early stage, women- and minority-owned firms with the education and resources needed for scalability and profitability. In order to participate, entrepreneurs must commit to a business education program that is delivered via 11, 2.5 hour web class sessions. Participants must also commit to utilizing additional resources and services to support their business outside of the curriculum, including: individual and group counseling sessions, technical assistance, pre-recorded videos, business plan assignments, and engagement with an assigned business advisor. The Urban League of Louisiana is working to increase access to entrepreneurship training in the communities that it serves – based on the challenges, opportunities, and small business development needs that are unique to selected communities across the state of Louisiana. The Urban League of Louisiana, in collaboration with Mastercard, will host its fourth Scale Up! Louisiana series, online, beginning in August 2021 for eligible small businesses in the Greater New Orleans area. The series will take place via 11, 2.5 hour web sessions. Other sponsors include AARP and Louisiana Economic Development. This series is also funded through a Cooperative […]

During this special online series, Black-owned small businesses will gain insights and learn concrete steps that can be taken to reach the full financial potential of their businesses.The Urban League of Louisiana's Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation understands that one of the keys to closing the racial wealth gap in the Black community is through entrepreneurship and other pathways that yield economic independence and prosperity. The COVID-19 pandemic, social injustice, and the economic downturn have presented challenges that have stunted the growth of many Black-owned small businesses, and some have even closed their doors. This means: rethinking your business model towards scalability, agility and resilience; examining your revenue model and growth metrics to ensure profitability; optimizing your pricing strategy for profit and cash flow; and leveraging the right financial resources to meet your growth needs. Thank you to our community supporters - Liberty Bank, Greater New Orleans, Inc., and the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce! Session 1: Building Scalable, Agile, and Resilient Small Businesses Tuesday, August 10 | 1:00pm-3:00pmFacilitator: Desiree YoungSession 2: Revenue Models and Metrics Thursday, August 12 | 1:00pm-3:00pmFacilitator: Lori JacksonSession 3: Pricing for Profit Tuesday, August 24 | 1:00pm-3:00pmFacilitator: Desiree Young Session 4: Leveraging the […]